


Grief

by the_ghostwriter96



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pompous Pep
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:53:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22123645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_ghostwriter96/pseuds/the_ghostwriter96
Summary: In which Jazz died, and Danny is not taking it well. Also Vlad is in this.
Relationships: Danny Fenton/Vlad Masters
Comments: 2
Kudos: 72





	Grief

**Author's Note:**

> Part of a series I'd like to do featuring the five stages of grief. This isn't one, just an opening that may or may not go anywhere.

Everyone, dressed in black. It wasn’t very fitting. Not for Jazz. It wasn’t like she preferred bright colors or anything like that, but she was _lively_. She was pretty, and thoughtful, and kind, and _not_ gloomy and terrible. Not like this was. This event, these people, even the coffin they chose for her- Danny couldn’t go up to see her. Lying in there, like that. He couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t.

Somehow, Jazz had had a life of her own. She’d had friends that he didn’t know of, so he didn’t know everyone there. He’d never tried to know them- and why would he? Why feel guilty about that? They were years above him, it wouldn’t make sense to hang out, he’d just have been the annoying little brother- but at the same time, he did know the people there. Some of them.

Their parents, there to grieve their daughter. His friends, to support him. His parent’s friends, also for support. He didn’t know what the hell _Vlad_ was doing there, but how could he give a shit about that right now? Even Johnny and Kitty were here, hovering. Danny could sense them, though they weren’t visible, and he could sense that they were sad.

Why had he never… cared more about her life, outside of home? She’d taken to leaving, more often the older she got. She had friends, she had interests, hell, maybe black _was_ fitting for her, now. He wouldn’t know. He barely knew her.

That wasn’t true, either, though. He knew his sister. He just wished they could’ve been closer. He wished none of this had happened. He wished that he could go back in time; and he’d already tried, but Clockwork said this was all part of life. That he couldn’t prevent every injury, every death, that Danny couldn’t save everyone. It wasn’t fair, but it was what it was.

And now, Jazz was gone.

“Daniel,” The voice by his ear would’ve startled him, if he hadn’t sensed Vlad approaching from behind. The hand on his shoulder didn’t make him recoil in disgust, however, which would’ve been strange if Danny wasn’t numb to it. “You should see her. Say your goodbyes.” And this reminded Danny of the time when Clockwork _had_ helped him… when Vlad had taken him in, and treated him kindly.

Did it really take something so horrible as this to turn Vlad into a decent man? “I can’t.” Danny’s mind was back in that time, in that place, when he had lost his entire family rather than just one member of it. It didn’t hurt any less, to lose fewer people. It didn’t hurt less.

“Trust me when I say that if you don’t, you will wish that you had. I’ve lived many years, Daniel. Long enough to know this.” A gentle squeeze to his shoulder, and briefly, Danny wondered how Vlad had the balls to approach him at all. How Vlad didn’t stop to think that maybe Danny didn’t want to see his nemesis, on such an already-horrible day.

But he wasn’t angry. He could barely feel anything but overwhelming grief. Even when Sam and Tucker were suddenly there, putting a wall between him and Vlad, he couldn’t feel gratitude. “Don’t listen to him, Danny.” Sam was glaring hard at the older man, but speaking gently to Danny.

“Yeah man, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

“It’s okay, guys.” Danny was looking at the casket. He could see her red hair, where she laid inside, and as he moved hesitantly closer her face came into view.

Sleeping. She could be sleeping. She could be… but she wasn’t. This wasn’t sleep. She was gone. She was _dead_ and suddenly, Danny was crying, tears burning his eyes and burning his nose and his friends were by his side and his parents were trying to hug him and everyone was staring at him, everyone, and then he was running. Out the doors, into town and away from there, away from Jazz and away from everyone and everything.

Why? Why didn’t she come back? Why did other people come back, but not her? Why Kitty? Why Desiree? Why Johnny, and so many ghosts, but not Jazz? It wasn’t fair. None of it was fair.

It was raining, of course. Typical, on a day like this, by the time he found an empty park nearby and collapsed at a picnic table beneath a shelter, he was soaked. Dripping wet, leaving a puddle beneath him but he didn’t care about that and he didn’t care about the cold. He was used to cold, it was all he really felt anymore since his ice powers developed.

Warmth, then. Settled on his shoulder, once again. Warm, hot, even, even through his clothes and Danny knew who it was. He turned his face away as Vlad sat down on the bench next to him, and then buried his face in his arms on the table. “What do you want?” He would’ve snapped, if he thought that he could.

“I know what this will sound like, to you, Little Badger. I do.” Vlad began, slowly, softly, like he knew Danny was only a drop of emotion away from breaking. “But I mean this sincerely.” A pause, and then, “I’m here for you, if you need me.”

And for once, at least in this timeline since the first time they’d met, Danny trusted Vlad’s intentions. “I know.” Was all that he said in reply. But that’s all that needed to be said.


End file.
